The present invention generally relates to general purpose utility lighters such as those used to ignite candles, barbecue grills, fireplaces and campfires.
Lighters used for igniting tobacco products, such as cigars, cigarettes, and pipes, have developed over a number of years. Typically, these lighters use either a rotary friction element or a piezoelectric element to generate a spark in proximity to a nozzle emitting fuel from a fuel container. Piezoelectric mechanisms have gained universal acceptance. One such piezoelectric mechanism is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,262,697 (xe2x80x9cthe ""697 patentxe2x80x9d). The disclosure of the ""697 patent is incorporated by reference herein.
Lighters have also evolved from the small, hand-held lighters to several forms of extended lighters. These lighters are also hand held, but are more useful for general purposes such as lighting candles, barbecue grills, fireplaces and campfires. Earlier attempts at such designs relied simply on extended actuating handles to house a typical lighter at the end. Examples of this concept are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,259,059 and 4,462,791.
In addition, many utility lighters have incorporated some form of operating mechanism to prevent unintentional operation of the lighter. Often, these mechanisms take the form of on/off switches that may prevent activation of the lighter. However, the on/off switches that must be positively moved by the user between xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d positions have drawbacks. For example, an adult user may forget to move the switch back to the xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d position after use and thereby render the on/off switch ineffective.
The prior art extended utility lighters typically have a trigger mechanism, which actuates both the fuel source and the ignitor mechanism. An example of such a system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,3269,256. In this lighter, the fuel release and spark generation are initiated by a single motion. In contrast, requiring separate and distinct motions for releasing gas and for actuating the piezoelectric mechanism would increase the difficulty of operating the extended utility lighter.
Thus, there remains a need for a utility lighter having a greater level of resistance for unintended users by requiring multiple movements or motions by the user to activate the lighter.
The present invention relates to lighters having greater level of resistance for unintended users. The lighter comprises a housing with a nozzle having an outlet, and a fuel supply in communication with a fuel conduit adapted for selective release of fuel to the nozzle outlet. A valve actuator is included for engaging a valve to release fuel. A release member is included, and is slidably supported by the housing at a first end and unsupported at a second end such that an intended user may act on the second end of the release member and then slide the release member to engage the valve to release fuel. A trigger extends from the housing and is operatively connected to an ignitor to produce a spark to ignite the released fuel. The release member and the trigger are configured such that the intended user may release the fuel and produce the spark at substantially the same time to produce a flame.
In another embodiment, the release member has a cam surface adapted to act on the valve actuator to release fuel, such that the intended user may act on the second end to selectively release fuel. In another embodiment, the user may move the trigger in a first direction and then in second direction to produce a spark to ignite the selectively released fuel. In yet another embodiment, the lighter includes a release member biased against a stop member on the housing to restrict the fuel conduit. The release member is actuatable by a user to remove the restriction on the fuel conduit and to selectively release fuel. These features and other features are fully described and claimed herein.